Communications chapter 2

critical approach

an approach used not only to understand human behavior but ultimately to change society

cultural communication

communication patterns within a specific community

rhetoric

communication that is used to influence the attitudes or behaviors of others; the art of persuasion

interpretive approach

contemporary term for humanistic (rhetorical) study

social science approach

contemporary term for the behaviorist approach

Which of the following responses in the demand-withdrawal interaction pattern has commonly been observed by communication researchers?

criticism

Scholars disagree about the best approach to studying communication because it is interdisciplinary in nature, meaning it is _____.

influenced by many other fields of study

_____ researchers use qualitative data to understand how communicators and receivers understand a communication event.

interpretive

Qualitative Methods

methods in which researchers study naturally occurring communication rather than assembling data and converting it to numbers

quantitative methods

methods that convert data to numerical indicators, and then analyze these numbers using statistics to establish relationships among the concepts

Michaela is using an interpretive approach to analyze the governor's speech as she seeks to understand how his speech affected voters in the state. She is using _____ analysis in her research.

rhetorical

To understand why teenagers communicate the way they do, Lars decided to watch the most popular teen films from the last three years. By analyzing a cultural "product" to do his research, Lars is engaging in _____.

textual analysis

The interpretive approach to communication was influenced by the Greek tradition of rhetoric. What is rhetoric?

the art of persuasion

Behaviorism

the focus on the study of behavior as a science

Juanita decided the best way to collect her information was to interview 10 students from each grade level. What has Juanita determined about her research?

the method

methods

the specific ways that scholars collect and analyze data which they then use to prove or disprove their theories

Sanjay's basketball team hasn't won a game in two months. Sanjay believes this is happening because the team only practices once a week. This is an example of a _____.

theory

Social Penetration Theory

theory that proposes relationships develop through increases in self-disclosure

theory

a set of statements that explains why a phenomenon occurs

Hypothesis

a supposition or proposed explanation

humanism

a system of thought that celebrates human nature and its potential

Demand-Withdraw

an interaction pattern in which one partner criticizes or tries to change the other partner, who responds by becoming defensive and then disengaging - either psychologically or physically

content analysis

approach to understanding communication that focuses on specific aspects of the content of a text or group of texts

defense communication

behavior that occurs when an individual perceives threat or anticipates threat from another individual

Joaquin proposed to the group that perhaps the reason the young children didn't immediately respond to their parents' request was because their hearing wasn't fully developed. Joaquin's reasoning is an example of a _____.

hypotheis

member checking

obtaining feedback from respondents to help improve the accuracy of research results

member-checking

obtaining feedback from respondents to help improve the accuracy of research results

The assumption that reality is external to individuals, that it persists across time and groups, and that one can predict future behaviors based on observations of past or present behavior, is an example of a _____.

paradigm

naturalistic

relating to everyday, real-life situations, such as a classroom, cafe, or shopping mall

ethnographic

relating to studies in which researchers actively engage with participants

textual analysis

similar to rhetorical analysis; used to analyze cultural "products," such as media and public speeches

In the early stages, the _____ approach to communication was focused on behaviorism.

social science

When communication researchers Thompson and Vangelisti surveyed heterosexual undergraduate students in dating relationships and used social penetration theory to theorize how they handled a lack of openness from their partner, they were applying a(n) _____ approach.

social science

Like interpretivists, critical scholars believe that reality is _____.

subjective

The _____ model of communication combines the three major contemporary research approaches in order to understand the communication process.

synergetic

Rhetorical Analysis

used by researchers to examine texts or public speeches as they occur in society with the aim of interpreting textual meaning